Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.59.29
Āśraya· The supreme shelterThe Lord Remains Beyond Material Modes
“Desiring to create, O unborn master, You increase and then assume the mode of passion. You do likewise with the mode of ignorance when You wish to annihilate the universe and with goodness when You wish to maintain it. Nonetheless, You remain uncovered by these modes. You are time, the pradhāna, and the puruṣa, O Lord of the universe, yet still You are separate and distinct.”
What the purport teaches
- Creation, maintenance and annihilation are described here on a cosmic scale. Passion accompanies creation, goodness maintenance, and ignorance annihilation.
- When a particular cosmic function is carried out, its associated material quality becomes predominant. This is the meaning emphasized by the purport.
- The Lord assumes these modes but remains uncovered by them. He is time, the pradhāna and the puruṣa, yet remains separate and distinct.
Try this today
Read the final two sentences of the translation and reflect for one minute on the Lord’s distinct position.
Ask yourself
Do I remember that the Lord governs material qualities without being covered by them?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.